4 Flipboard Alternatives For Your Computer If You Don’t Own An iPad

Wish you could use Flipboard on your PC, Mac or Linux computer? Sadly right now a desktop version of this famous iPad app is only a rumor. Don’t worry though, there are lots of web-based alternatives that include some of FlipBoard’s features.

Much virtual ink has been spilt discussing FlipBoard, the social magazine for iPad. This app takes articles shared on social networks and presents them in a magazine-like fashion. Some like the app for its presentation of social media links, some like the way it makes the web feel more like a print publication. Nancy recently mentioned it as one of the 6 best free RSS readers for the iPad.

Many wish they could use the app without having to buy an iPad. Rumors persist about the possibility of a version for standard computers – possibly for the Chrome Web Store – but at this point they remain just that: rumours. If you’re looking to use FlipBoard on your computer you’ll have to wait, but there are some other apps worth taking a look at.

SurfBoard

This one’s kind of cool. Take any website and quickly turn it into a magazine you can flip through:

There’s no social media integration to speak of here, but it’s a new way to browse the websites you already love. Check it out RideSurfBoard to get started.

Layers For Google Chrome

Layers is a social media service that does a lot of things, but of particular interest to me is their Google Chrome app. With this tool you can add your Facebook and Twitter accounts, and view links in the same window:

This is a very cool way to get an overview of the articles your friends are talking about, and is particularly good at embedding video links. Check out Layers for Google Chrome to see if you like it. There’s also Layers.com, but that seems to be a different service entirely.

PostPost

Facebook is full of links, videos and photos. If you want a way to overview this content that looks more like a newspaper than a news feed, PostPost is your go-to tool:

Only content from Facebook can be seen here, so heavy Twitter users may need to look elsewhere. You can filter the service to show you links, videos, photos or everything. It’s a nice tool for an overview of Facebook, so check out PostPost.

Google Fast Flip

Want a quick way to flip through the top news stories of the day? Try Google Fast Flip, an experimental project that allows you to slide through stories in various categories:

You’ll see a thumbnail of the article and can explore to your heart’s content. Browse by topic or even by source. Again, this isn’t a socially integrated service but it’s a pretty cool way to browse the day’s news. Check out Google Fast Flip here.

Know Something Better?

These are, as far as I know, the best FlipBoard alternatives for your computer right now. But I could be wrong. If you know of a better service, please recommend it in the comments below. This will give your fellow readers other apps to try, and would help enlighten me.